BBC DOCUMENTARY: FISCHER VS. SPASSKY, 1972

With the current World Championship taking place between Kramnik and Topalov, and many of the events reminiscent of the 1972 "Match of the Century," we thought it appropriate to link you to a video of a BBC Documentary (including interviews of people who knew the competitors, and of Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky themselves!).

Before the interviews leading up to the match, BBC gives interesting background information on chess in the Soviet Union: that Lenin himself came up with the idea of making chess compulsory in Soviet schools. "Chess is the gymnastics of the mind!," said Lenin.

You can watch the documentary here.

(In the photo above, Boris Spassky is on the left and Bobby Fischer is on the right)